Thanks to JanDekkerDesigns.com for the gorgeous photo!Â Few vendors ROCK my world like Jan, plus her b’day is one day before mine, go figure, right!

http://www.JanDekkerDesigns.com

You found the man/woman of your dreams, your soul mate, right, congrats!Â You said â€śYESâ€ť, youâ€™re engaged, and since many items do come in â€śthrees,â€ť or â€śmultiples of threes,â€ťâ€“ such as graduating from college, moving into a new home, switching jobs, finding a new job, buying a new car, and then you just added the â€śwedding to do listâ€ť which is a mile long, you are BUSY!Â You thought finding time to do things was tough before, well, it doesnâ€™t get any better!

As an experienced wedding planner, at the end of the day, in my opinion (which you will hear TONS of opinions), this is truly what mattersâ€¦having an incredible wedding of your dreams is important, yet more important is the quality of the rest of your life together as husband and wife.

The golden rule is important.Â You have heard of bridezilla, groomzilla, and momzilla, so please donâ€™t let the stress of planning your wedding turn you, or someone you love into one!Â Reach out to those in your close circle of family and friends in a kind way.Â You may disagree, tempers may flare, yet pick your battles, since relationships and friendships may end over minor issues which may have been solved easily and quickly.

Here are a few MUST DO tips before you walk down the aisle and say â€śI do.â€ť

1).Â Happily ever after happens in fairy tales.Â Pre-wedding anxiety is normal.Â Confront your fears, stress, or concerns about your marriage head on.Â Be open with your fiance and your inner circle of family and friends.

3).Â Discuss a prenup, checking accounts, credit cards, savings, and joining finances.Â If you havenâ€™t already discussed this, it is important.Â You may want accounts to stay at â€śyour bank,â€ť while he wants accounts to stay at â€śhis bankâ€ť.Â Â Once checks and bills start coming in, you donâ€™t want confusion about whose account they should go into or out of.Â Are you going to stay with â€śyourâ€ť bank, switch to â€śhisâ€ť bank, or go to a different bank altogether?Â Finances are normally one of the top items of disagreements in relationships.

4). Â Discuss plans to have children or not have children.Â Many breakdowns in marriages occur when someone â€śthoughtâ€ť or â€śassumedâ€ť their spouse wanted and expected something, then when they brought it up, said they were â€śblind sidedâ€ť and didnâ€™t see â€śthatâ€ť coming.Â If you are planning to have children, when, and how many?Â If you are not planning on having children, best to talk about it now.Â If you do have children, how are you going to raise them if you are Catholic and he is Jewish?

5).Â Plan â€śmeâ€ť time.Â Schedule something which helps you relax, and something you like to do for you.Â May be working out, hiking, playing sports, purging your closet, something for you!

6).Â Bond and have heart-to-heart moments with your family and BFFs.Â Once you are married you will have less free time with your parents and friends.Â Plan something you have always wanted to do with them, yet havenâ€™t done â€śyetâ€ť together, something on your/their â€śbucketâ€ť list.

7).Â Talk about â€śWhen weâ€™re marriedâ€¦â€ťÂ Here is a way to get the creative minds thinking (LOVE using this in your wedding ceremony wording too):Â You have known each other for ____ years, through the first glance of acquaintance to this moment of commitment.Â At some moment you decided to marry.Â From that moment of yes, until this moment of Yes (your wedding vows), indeed, you have been making promises and agreements in an informal way.Â All those conversations that were held riding in a car or over a meal or on long walks â€“ all those sentences that began with â€śWhen weâ€™re marriedâ€ť and continued with â€śI will, and you will, and we will,â€ť â€“ those late night talks that included â€śsomedayâ€ť and â€śsomehowâ€ť and â€śmaybeâ€ť â€“ and all those promises that are unspoken matters of the heart.Â All these common things, and more, are the real process of a wedding.

9).Â If you donâ€™t like something, work at making a change in yourself to change the way you accept or donâ€™t accept â€śitâ€ť in your life.Â The definition of insanity by Albert Einstein is â€śDoing the same thing over and over again and expecting a different results.â€ť